Meet the students running to serve on the ASUCD Senate
By AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS — campus@theaggie.org
In this week’s Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD) Fall Election, 13 candidates are running to fill six available seats on the ASUCD Senate — the main legislative body of the UC Davis undergraduate student government. Elections are open from Monday, Nov. 10 at 8 a.m. to Friday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. Students can vote online at elections.ucdavis.edu. The elected candidates will serve terms for one year, and be sworn in at the end of this fall quarter.
The California Aggie has compiled a summary of their relevant experience, policy positions and campaigns to help you make an informed decision when choosing your next student representatives.
Aggie Alliance Slate: Priorities include: improving bike paths and lighting; working closely with Unitrans to improve bus timeliness; increasing Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) engagement; and addressing parking pricing.
Aaron David Heth, third-year political science major
Heth is running a transportation-centered campaign. He hopes to work with Unitrans, noting concern over bus timeliness, and wants to see the budget allocated to the unit increased by the student government. Additionally, he wants to expand on bike path accessibility and lighting to make the campus more bike-friendly for cyclists.
Heth has prior experience serving on the transportation committee of his hometown in Calistoga. He transferred to UC Davis this academic year.
“If they want someone who’s transparent, engages with them and brings a fresh perspective, then they can vote for me,” Heth said.
Ryan Kan, third-year political science and economics double major
Kan wants to be a part of ASUCD to better represent his constituents, as he hopes to improve in giving students the space to be heard outside of weekly Senate meetings. He previously made a bid for senator in the spring 2025 elections.
Kan aims to support students through implementing quarterly parking passes, increasing inter-RSO engagement, hosting quarterly club fairs to increase promotion amongst student communities and improving campus lighting. Kan says his background as an Eagle Scout has provided him with different leadership skills, as has his job at Latitude Dining Commons. Kan hopes to reach a wide range of students to ensure the larger student body’s needs are met.
“I’m running for ASUCD in order to represent my constituents, because I feel as though the ASUCD fails at that one part,” Kan said.
Mia Oscanoa, first-year political science major
Oscanoa has previous experience serving on multiple student organizations, councils and committees at the high school, district and city levels. She hopes to improve bike routes and lighting, improve school spirit and push for more nutritious food options at the ASUCD Coffee House (CoHo).
Oscanoa aims to carry out her goals by hosting more events to bring students together, working closely with the CoHo to implement other food options and create preventive measures to decrease bike crashes on campus. She is open to learning about the inner workings of various ASUCD units to better understand how they can serve students more efficiently.
“I ran because I know how important it is to see people who look like me in leadership roles. Sometimes, you have to be the first to say yes,” Oscanoa said.
UNIDAD Slate: Priorities include: unifying student groups on campus; building stronger relationships with student centers and underrepresented groups on campus; and increasing advocacy and visibility for marginalized students.
Rosa Linda Martinez Ruano, third-year sociology and community & regional development double major
Ruano is a first-generation AB540 student and Guatemalan immigrant who believes there needs to be more representation of students from different backgrounds in ASUCD. She currently serves as chairperson of the ASUCD Undocuscholars Advocacy and Aid (UAA) Committee and as an administrative coordinator at Students Obtaining Leadership y Latinxs United in Navigating Academics (SOL y LUNA) in the Student Recruitment and Retention Center (SRRC).
With her experience, Ruano aims to empower and protect the safety of underrepresented communities and support undocumented students’ success. With recent budget cuts affecting many underrepresented student centers and organizations, Ruano hopes to build and reaffirm stronger relationships to ensure students are being heard and reached.
“It is my empathy and the way I communicate with our students and the relationships I’ve built that has made me realize the need for support in our community,” Ruano said.
Kelly Zamudio, fourth-year political science and sociology double major
Zamudio says she aims to build community and equity on campus, particularly with the Chicano and Latino community and undocumented students. As a transfer student, she ran for Transfer Student Representative in the spring 2025 election and now serves on the ASUCD Academic Affairs Commission (AAC) as vice chair.
Zamudio’s campaign seeks to increase transfer student advocacy within ASUCD commissions and bring back the currently defunct Aggie Mentors program. She also wants to work on incorporating legal absentee exceptions in class syllabi to allow students to get at least three days of excused absences to go to court hearings or detention centers if their loved ones are involved in immigration enforcement action. She believes that with ongoing federal administrative decisions, it is now more important than ever to support students through advocacy and empathy.
“The reason why I’m running is because I have lived experiences that really affected my time as a student and person as a whole, and I don’t want my community to go through that,” Zamudio said.
Warda Slate: Priorities include: protecting students and student activists; creating and providing new resources for students; and bridging the gap between RSOs and ASUCD.
Laurene Karajah, third-year international relations major
Karajah’s three main campaign goals are uplifting RSOs, ensuring moral investments and preventing harassment and discrimination on campus. Karajah hopes to create a Senate resolution or bill that takes away funding from certain companies deemed unethical; part of an effort to ensure students’ tuition money isn’t going towards causes that the majority of students may not morally agree with.
Karajah hopes to build a stronger relationship with RSOs to make them more aware of ASUCD’s resources. She also hopes to push for bills to prevent the harassment of students from marginalized backgrounds by people coming on campus with those intentions. Karajah would like to create a committee for the safety of students of color.
“I am very passionate about what I believe in, and I want to be a part of my community and contribute to it,” Karajah said.
Jenna Younes, fourth-year international relations major
Younes currently serves as an ASUCD senator and is seeking re-election to a second term. She has served as an officer for different RSOs, having worked closely in the past with the CoHo and ASUCD Creative Media. She is running on the Warda slate because of its focus on ethical spending and financial transparency.
Younes believes that students should be aware of the money ASUCD handles and where it is going — especially concerning companies complicit in human rights abuses or environmental abuse. She is also the chairperson of the ASUCD Ethical Spending Committee, which oversees and reviews student funds to ensure they are spent ethically and transparently. She hopes to inform more students about ASUCD’s financial activity, bridge the gap between RSOs and ASUCD and increase student safety (particularly for student activists). She aims to do this through hosting more “Know Your Rights” workshops and streamlining ASUCD’s resources.
“I am here to advocate for everyone, not just people in my own community. I have the experience to help them, and I’m going to continue using that to advocate for them throughout the rest of the time I’m on [the] Senate,” Younes said.
Independent: Independent candidates run without slates and hold individual policy platforms.
Jake Beeman, second-year philosophy major
Beeman is running for ASUCD because he strongly disagrees with how the current ASUCD table conducts themselves and wants to increase their importance to students. Beeman aims to manage the budget deficit by reducing the Entertainment Council’s (EC) $500,000 budget and redistributing that money to basic needs programs.
Beeman also aims to enshrine greater legislative protections for units essential to the functions of the student government, like Unitrans and The Pantry. Beeman does not aim to add anything new to ASUCD, but rather to reallocate the government’s funds in a way that is best for students.
“A vote for Beeman is a vote of no confidence [in ASUCD],” Beeman said.
Ivan Garcia-Cervantes, third-year political science major
Garcia-Cervantes transferred to UC Davis at the start of this academic year and aims to run for ASUCD given his extensive background as student body president of his community college’s student government.
Garcia-Cervantes aims to empower students for life after graduation, increase awareness of ASUCD and fund general ‘quality of life’ upgrades across campus. He hopes to do this through monthly town hall meetings for students, hosting more informational workshops and strengthening Wi-Fi on campus. He also wants to see increased lighting on campus for bikers and pedestrian safety, and hopes to work with Unitrans to improve their services and provide more stability for students.
“The goal of ASUCD should be helping students get the most resources possible to set them up for success in the future,” Garcia-Cervantes said.
Tanishka Kandakatla, first-year political science — public service major
Kandakatla decided to run for ASUCD this election cycle to get involved with student government as a first year. Her main priority is to make the campus safer by improving crosswalks and repainting bike lanes. She plans on doing this by working with Unitrans and other student organizations to reduce the amount of crashes on campus. She also hopes to increase Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) student connections with ASUCD.
Kandakatla has previous experience as captain of her high school’s mock trial and speech and debate team. She also has internship experience at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and with Tabletop Strategies, a political consulting firm.
“Whether you walk, bike or scooter to class, I want to make sure you get there safely and without a worry,” Kandakatla said.
Nate Little, first-year political science major
Little decided to run for ASUCD to help manage their budget, especially on the administrative side. Before arriving at UC Davis, Little kept up with the Senate’s budget, meetings and legislation to see how he could help with their ongoing budget deficit. His main focus is funding clubs on campus; he notes that the Club Finance Council (CFC) saw a $30,000 budget cut this year. He aims to cut back on administrative spending and put it towards clubs to better foster community on campus. Another one of Little’s goals is to increase transparency between ASUCD and students, as information about the senators and their office hours is often hard to access.
Little believes basic needs should be the top priority of ASUCD amidst ongoing federal administration decisions and funding cuts to support programs, and wants to ensure the budget is being used to serve students’ needs above all else.
“If you want more from ASUCD — if you want to see them actually caring about you, someone who is accessible, somebody who is actually focusing on you and not some personal side project of theirs — then vote for me,” Little said.
Aayush Raina, first-year political science major
Raina decided to run for ASUCD after being a part of his high school’s associated student body for four years, where he served some time as treasurer. His goals include improving communication and accessibility, making Davis more affordable and ensuring transportation is more reliable.
Raina hopes to do this by streamlining information, increasing awareness about scholarships and grants and collaborating with Unitrans. Additionally, Raina hopes to work with Student Housing and Dining Services to increase vegetarian options at the dining halls on campus. He is open to working with any unit, RSOs and a subset of the student community to ensure they have the support they need to succeed.
“The first and foremost priority of mine as a senator would be to protect the students and their needs,” Raina said.
Ezra Rubin, third-year classics and international relations double major
Rubin is seeking re-election to the Senate to continue the work he began as a senator during his last term, which ended in the spring. There, he actively worked with the Housing Advising for Undergraduate Students (HAUS) unit and was the chairperson of the Vital Emergency Shelter and Transitional Assistance (VESTA) task force, a sub-unit to help support the Aggie House, a transitional housing shelter for students.
Rubin’s goals include supporting clubs by increasing the ClubFinance Council budget, increasing representation on the Senate table through quarterly town halls and continuing housing services within ASUCD. Moreover, Rubin is well aware of the ongoing budget deficit and wants to prioritize basic needs, advocacy services and mental health resources.
“I am diligent about scrutinizing legislation; making sure we’re being as effective with the money we’re spending as possible,” Rubin said.
Lily Kenrow and Robin Franklin contributed to this article.
Written by: Aaliyah Español-Rivas — campus@theaggie.org
